Cooperation in the Framework of Transborder and Regional Statistics

Statistics of cross-border areas plays an increasingly important role. It contributes to regional development and international cooperation. Official statistics satisfies the growing demand for information about cross-border areas. One of the key elements of the research work in border regions is to create a unified information infrastructure. The specificity of shaping cross-border statistics lies in the fact that the object of research is the areas of two or more states, each of which is subject to national tax, financial and other legislation, as well as is covered by national statistical system. Data of cross-border statistics are necessary for: − the regional authorities to provide management in border and cross-border regions, namely for analyses which are carried out by municipalities, counties and provinces on both sides of the border, − establishing regional development in all fields, − the needs of regional science, − the needs of entrepreneurship, − the needs of society of cross-border regions. The main emphasis is put on basic statistical information of cross-border cooperation, which is the statistics of regional border areas. Cross-border cooperation poses some challenges for regional statistics, chiefly the methodological ones. The experience of regional statistics of the Polish-Ukrainian border area shows that the stage of quite spontaneous cooperation, which consists primarily in the preparation of joint publications, should be developed into a great systematic work to establish a system of cross-border statistics. The cooperation of the Ukrainian and Polish statisticians in the border area has reached such a level, that what should follow in order to bring a new quality to this cooperation is the establishment of cross-border data bank.